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Accelerate business growth and brand loyalty. Oracle CX Marketing (part of Oracle Cloud CX) is an integrated portfolio of digital marketing solutions that help B2B and B2C marketers use real-time intelligence and customer signals to deliver personalized experiences.
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If you've been wondering what happened to Quintin Berry, the guy who stole some bases for the Detroit Tigers that one time, here is your answer: he's playing Triple-A ball for the Norfolk Tides and just not giving a fuck.
After reaching base in the ninth inning of last night's game against the Syracuse Chiefs, Berry got into it with the first-base umpire for unknown reasons and was promptly ejected. Choosing to go out in style, Berry proceeded to run the bases, slide into home, and yell some obscenities toward the field as he stomped into the dugout. All around, a strong performance.

subset: commoncrawl


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Chevrolet engineering dominated the chassis and front suspension of the original Corvette while the steering and suspension designs came mostly from Chevrolet passenger cars. For the steering gear, Chevrolet drew on Saginaw Division's worm-and-roller unit, the standard fare for lighter G.M. cars of that period.
In 1940, Saginaw pioneered the revolutionary recirculating ball-and-nut steering gear. Heavyweight, upscale models like Cadillac, Buick, the Oldsmobile '98' and light trucks quickly benefited from the design. Chevrolet, Pontiac and lighter Oldsmobile models, however, continued to use Saginaw worm-and-roller gears. Less sophisticated, with fewer components, worm-and-roller gears were common to many postwar vehicles. Arguably, Chevrolet's first-generation Corvette might have benefited from a smoother, more precise recirculating ball-and-nut gear. A recirculating ball-and-nut gear offers closer tolerances, nimbler steering and a longer service life. Once again, the decision to use a worm-and-roller unit tied the Corvette to Chevrolet's 1953 passenger car models.
By 1955, Chevrolet passenger cars dropped worm-and-roller steering gears, opting for Saginaw's recirculating ball-and-nut design. In defense of the C-1's worm-and-roller gear, the unit did offer greater stamina and better performance than the Gemmer gears used in '55-'57 Thunderbirds. More importantly, vintage racing Corvettes quickly proved their worth, and worm-and-roller steering carried through the C-1 era. Corvette did not acquire a recirculating ball-and-nut gear until 1963, being the last G.M. model to do so.
Design And Wear Points
A Corvette worm-and-roller steering gear has a ball-bearing supported roller gear. This is a plus, as the ball-bearings are rugged and generally outlast the life of the gear. The roller mounts at the inner end of a sector shaft, and the outer end of the shaft supports the pitman arm. A solid steering shaft has a worm gear at its base. The roller gear teeth engage the worm. As the steering wheel rotates the steering shaft and worm, the sector shaft pivots, rotating the pitman arm fore-and-aft.
The worm has tapered roller bearings at the top and bottom. This support is ample and provides many years of service. The upper end of the steering shaft rotates in a column bearing, which supports the steering wheel. An iron gear housing, needle roller bearing support for the sector shaft, and quality bearings on the roller make this gear reliable and rugged. By contrast, the Gemmer worm-and-roller gears use small needle bearings on the roller, and the sector shaft's support is two bronze bushings.
Assuming a C-1's gear has proper lubrication, wear is predictable. Needle bearings, tapered roller bearings and ball-bearings will wear over time. Rarely is this wear so minimal as to allow for adjustment of the gear. However, adjustment can sometimes remediate minor looseness and provide additional service before the inevitable rebuild. If light adjustment can remove normal wear characteristics, and if the gear moves freely through its range of motion, an adjustment could be warranted.
More often, if you find that the sector or worm bearings require considerable adjustment, the gear definitely needs rebuilding. The roller teeth and worm can wear or pit, chip or corrode. Attempting to adjust out such play is dangerous. Overly tight, the worm-and-sector can bind or even lock up. Upon disassembly, the gear that requires appreciable adjustment will show sufficient wear for a rebuild.
Fortunately, unlike many other steering gears of the '53-'62 era, there are aftermarket rebuild parts available. Corvette America and Corvette Central offer an extraordinary rebuild kit for the C-1 steering gear. The kit is available for models with either '53-'57 or '58-'62 steering shaft lengths. A premium quality steering shaft and worm, a new roller with inner race and bearings, worm bearings, sector needle roller bearings, a sector shaft seal, cover gasket and upper column bearing with new horn wire round out the package.
This rebuild kit provides all wear parts except the sector shaft and sector adjuster. The new roller kit must be used with the original sector. This is fine as long as there is no spline wear, thread wear or excessive wear at the sector's adjuster slot. The fit between the adjuster thrust washer, button head and the slot is precise and critical. Excessive thrust clearance is an issue. The adjuster clearance or correct fit within the slot must be restored.
Before Rebuilding, Separate Steering Issues
The '53-'62 Corvette steering system has many wear points that create steering looseness. Lack of lubrication, poor adjustment techniques and improper front-end alignment can also contribute to steering quirks. Before rebuilding the gear, which entails a good deal of effort to remove, pinpoint the wear and weaknesses in the Corvette's system.
Points of concern would be: 1) the kingpin bushings, causing shimmy and wheel wobble, 2) wander and sway from loose tie-rod ends, draglink cups or bellcrank/third arm bearings, and 3) loose wheel bearings creating wobble, shake and wander. Eliminate any of these wear issues before condemning the steering gear. If roughness or binding persists, disconnect the draglink from the pitman arm. Slowly rotate the steering wheel from left to right extremes, feeling for roughness or notchiness. Binding is common when the sector adjustment has been over-tightened as an ill-fated attempt to reduce overall steering play.
When steering won't return to center after turns, check for steering gear bind or insufficient caster angle at the front wheels. The caster angle should be 4-degrees positive, plus-or-minus 1/2-degree. Camber, caster, toe-in and toe-out on turns must each measure within specification. Total front-end alignment is critical and often overlooked on vintage Corvettes. Setting just the toe-in is simply not enough.
There are numerous wear points on the front end of a C-1 model. Common checkpoints are much like a 1953 Chevrolet passenger car: the kingpins and bushings, tie-rod ends, steering knuckles and spindles, wheel bearings, control arm bushing wear, worn sway bar bushings, coil spring sag or a loose steering gear. Combined, these features make up the handling and safe steering of your vintage Corvette.
If your search narrows to the steering gear, approach this job with the 1953-62 Corvette Servicing Guide (ST-12) in hand. This factory workshop manual details the removal and installation of the steering gear, the overhaul steps and the proper methods for adjusting the gear. The book is available in reprint form from automotive literature and Corvette parts sources. Every vintage Corvette owner should have a copy. Consider the steering gear rebuilding steps. Decide whether tackling your gear is a home project or sublet to a Corvette restoration shop.
Set up properly, the C-1's Saginaw worm-and-roller steering gear is a rugged and reliable unit. If the original gear got your Corvette this far, a precisely rebuilt gear, with modern upgrade components, should easily last another half-century!


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So I have struggling with a very important and life changing issue.
I literally ask myself the same question every time I make a cake.
Should I clean up crumbs on the cake stand or leave it as is?
I completely understand if you just rolled your eyes at me.
Now. Please forgive this strange as heck picture. As much as I would love to reveal what is under those mysterious red blobs.. I gotta save it for the book!
So just pretend its little red blobs of joy.
Bet ya didnt think you'd be reading that sentence today.
Ok! Back to the question at hand. What do you like better?
Cake with frosting and crumbs?
Or clean cake stand.
This is life and death stuff here.
Er… not.
But I'd love to know which option you favor!


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Director Marc Webb's The Amazing Spider-Man is primed for a big Fourth of July weekend opening, but that doesn't stop him from thinking ahead. In a recent interview, Webb talked about potential sequels for the superhero film, saying that he departed from canon just enough to allow successive iterations to "withstand…[and] anticipate future storylines." Who does Webb think would be a good villain for Spidey in the future? Well, he does stress that Spider-Man already has an impressive rogues gallery, but also suggested an original villain of his own creation. You can find out who that would be after the jump.
The Amazing Spider-Man, starring Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Martin Sheen, Sally Field and Denis Leary opens July 3rd.
Check out the new posters below and click on them to embiggen (via IMPAwards). In an interview with Heat Vision, Webb suggested the following villain for an eventual sequel to The Amazing Spider-Man:
"I do think it would be tricky to totally invent a major villain, but if I did that it would be The Mime. My big contribution would be a villain called The Mime. That's a joke, by the way. A joke."
In case you didn't hear him, Webb is joking, so don't get your Spidey-tighties in a bunch. He went on to further comment on classic Spider-Man villains:
"I think you have to be pretty protective of the canon when it comes to villains. And Spider-Man has a great rogue's gallery, so there's a lot to choose from."
Whether Webb will be around to direct a sequel or not depends on a lot of variables, but he did seem content with the world he set up in the rebooted origin story:
"I wanted to create a universe that works in and of itself for one movie, but I wanted to create a universe that not only can withstand but anticipate future storylines. Movies like this tend to have sequels, [although] ultimately the audience will tell us if they want one. But I kind of thought it was an interesting thing to anticipate those storylines and think about the back stories and how we can parlay those into an ongoing story."
He concluded by comparing his work in preparing the film for future interpretations to that of serialized comic books:
"That's something I love about the comics — the serialized nature of them. And then certain storylines we'll pick up and characters that we'll expand upon, but it's all part of the mythology that we spent a lot of time developing early on. I think there's obligations to canon that were fun to explore, but the future is bright," he says. "I think there's a lot of possibility there."
While you ponder whether or not there needs to be a sequel (many are still arguing whether there needed to be a first movie), you can read up on Matt's review of The Amazing Spider-Man here.


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In July 2010, M-NCPPC received a Transportation/Land Use Connections technical assistance grant from the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. Under this grant, the Station Access, Pedestrian Safety and Streetscape Improvements Project will receive technical assistance in analyzing pedestrian safety and station access within the Central Avenue TOD Corridor. The results of the analysis will be used to develop a pedestrian safety and streetscape improvements plan for the Central Avenue Corridor between the Capitol Heights and Addison Road-Seat Pleasant Metro Stations.
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At first glance Springpad appears to be yet another to do list manager, but scratch beneath the surface and it doesn't take long to reveal that there is much more to the app than that. Spring pad can of course be used to store all manner of notes, but photos can also be added to help serve as visual reminders. When taking notes and photos, your current location is automatically saved in case this information is also useful.
Springpad isn't just about recording information, thanks to the app's built in web browser it can also be used to perform searches, such as book prices, movies reviews and much more. To save you having to type lengthy book titles, you can simply scan barcodes to look up reviews and compare prices of a book you find in a store.
Any information you save is automatically added to by Springpad. Look up a movie, for instance, and as well as finding reviews, you will also be provided with show times. Look up a hotel, and in addition to prices, you will be given the opportunity to place a reservation.
It is the sheer versatility of Springpad that makes it so amazingly useful. All of the information you add is automatically synchronised with your online account so it can be easily accessed from another computer or downloaded to another device. Your notes can be shared with others via Twitter and Facebook and there are other useful options such as the ability to send text or email reminders, and record audio notes.
Note that this is the extension for Google Chrome.
Very much as jack of all trades notes app, Springpad has an almost overwhelming range of features that can be put to countless uses.


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Blue Buffalo Blue Life Protection Formula Adult Healthy Weight Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe Dry Dog Food, 15 lbs.
Browse all deals at Petco
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* This offer may contain time-sensitive information and offers. Please check with Petco to confirm actual price & availability.
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Sculptor crafts Pittsburgh history with each stroke
Susan Wagner known for statues of Roberto Clemente, Bill Mazeroski
You know her fingers, with each stroke and every touch, and you've seen her eyes through theirs.
She remains anonymous, faceless. Yet her work is anything but.
Susan Wagner is Pittsburgh history.
"As soon as I touched the clay, it was like lightning. I mean, it was just, like, electrifying," Wagner told Channel 4 Action News anchor Wendy Bell. "I like the way everything just flows together."
Photos: Susan Wagner sculpts Wendy Bell
But her story almost wasn't.
Kicked out of art school, Wagner nearly gave up on sculpting, but Pittsburgh Pirates Hall of Fame outfielder Roberto Clemente changed everything.
"And I read the article about how he died, and I fell in love with him," she said. "I got chills and I said, 'I have to do this.'"
From there, Wagner grabbed some clay and got to work. Her statue of Clemente was only the second she'd ever made.
Photos: Roberto Clemente statue at PNC Park
There was no formal training. No instruction. Just her heart and her hands working in unison.
"I just love it. I love doing this," Wagner said.
She's also sculpted other Pirates icons, like Bill Mazeroski and Willie Stargell, and even Jackie Robinson.
"Sometimes, I still can't believe it," Wagner said.
Photos: Bill Mazeroski statue at PNC Park
Some of her work has even made its way to the Vatican. Yet Wagner remains in the shadows, allowing her work to steal the spotlight for her.
"I think I'm just one of the luckiest people in the world," she said.
For more information about Susan Wagner and her art, visit classic-sculpture.com.


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On Friday, 27 December, during a weekly demonstration in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh, an Israeli soldier shot a female activist in the legs from a few meters away. Several others were injured, and many homes were damaged with a 'skunk water' cannon.
Video footage shows the woman approaching a group of soldiers and their armored jeep. She was just steps away when the shot rings out and a burst of dust explodes around her legs and feet. Moments later, a medic is seen cutting away her jeans to show her wounded ankle and a massive welt on her knee.
The woman is Manal Tamimi, mother of four and currently pursuing her Master's Degree in International Law. She is also a long-time activist and organizer, one of the leading figures of the village's popular resistance committee.
In a short interview with the Palestine Monitor, Manal explained that she was approaching the soldiers to demand that they stop firing teargas in the direction of Sa'eed Tamimi's home, where his elderly mother Fatma, who suffered a paralyzing stroke earlier in the year, would likely succumb to suffocation from the excessive use of the noxious gas.
"I was shocked, of course, because I didn't expect him to shoot, and he gave no warning," Manal said over the phone on Sunday.
She suffered painful injury to her legs and hairline fractures when she was hit with four shots, two near her right ankle and two near her left knee. According to local activists, the weapon used in the attack fires bursts of up to fifteen plastic-coated metal bearings at a time. She believes that her long boots, worn over her jeans, saved her from suffering worse injury. She was taken to the hospital by ambulance and released later in the day.
Manal also expressed frustration about international perceptions: "I would say to the people of the world that everybody is supporting Israel and calls Palestinians the terrorists. But the reality here is the opposite."
The small village of Nabi Saleh and scores of other sites across the West Bank have been waging an unarmed struggle against the continued loss of land to expanding Israeli settlements, an annexation and displacement process facilitated by the Israeli military and its massive separation barrier. During clashes that invariably erupt during the demonstrations, village youth frequently hurl stones at the invading forces, and many have come to view the stone as the symbol of their resistance, as it was during the First Intifada of 1987-1991.
According to international law, all Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, which have been occupied by the Israeli military occupation since 1967, are illegal. In 2004, the International Court of Justice ruled that the separation barrier being constructed on Palestinian land, and annexing much of it to the settlements, is also illegal.
The people of Nabi Saleh committed to weekly demonstrations four years ago when they adopted the "popular struggle" model set by numerous other villages confronting the wall and settlements. And like many other villages, Nabi Saleh has paid a high price for its struggle to persist. In addition to chronic weekly injuries and property damage, the Israeli army also shot dead Rushdi Tamimi with live ammunition in 2012, and killed Mustafa Tamimi by firing a teargas canister into his face at close range in 2011. Rushdi and Mustafa were Manal's cousins. The village is fortunate Manal did not become the latest martyr.
In addition to Manal's shooting and the usual injuries from tear gas inhalation, two reporters were also injured, and the army inflicted a deplorable form of collective punishment on one of the village's main streets.
After the demonstration was over, dozens of locals and activists, and numerous homes and yards, were sprayed down with a foul liquid that leaves an irrepressible stench like rotten food and sewage.
The Palestine Monitor witnessed the post-demonstration deluge from the large armored vehicle, known as the 'skunk truck,' with its industrial swivel hose mounted on the top, spraying high velocity jets of 'skunk water' up to fifty or sixty meters.
Accompanied by military vehicles, the skunk truck rolled into the village and seemed to head directly and purposefully for one particular home. It was the house Manal had been trying to prevent from teargas bombardment earlier in the day.
Locals have no doubt the home was deliberately targeted because its owner, Sa'eed Tamimi, who had been in an Israeli prison for twenty years, was expected to be released on the Monday following the demonstration (the release comes as part of a large four-phase prisoner release deal tied to the current round of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.)
When Palestinians are released from Israeli jails, especially long-time prisoners, celebrations usually follow at the homes of the released. Skunking the house and yard seemed to be an Israeli effort to dampen the pending celebrations. The skunk truck had not been seen in the village for four or five months.
Several people, including youth, women, and children, tried to obstruct the path of the massive vehicle with their bodies as it advanced, but they were no match for the high-pressure skunk cannon. Dozens were drenched or sprayed, along with numerous other homes in the truck's path as it came and went.
"People around the world should look at Palestinians as human beings," Manal told the Palestine Monitor. "We have the right to live as human beings as any person in the whole world. And we have the right to defend ourselves and our homes. No one can stop us. We'll keep resisting until we have our freedom, even if they kill us as they killed two of us, our martyrs, and we'll fight until we have our freedom."
To learn more about life in Nabi Saleh and hear more of Manal in her own words, watch "A Short Visit with Manal Tamimi."
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This is one of a collection of films made by the Selby Cine Club. This film provides a wonderful overview of the town of Selby as it was in 1965 and is accompanied by an interesting historical commentary. It shows pedestrians and traffic in the town centre, many of the shops, and includes the Toll Bridge, the Monday market, the Reverend John Kent giving a tour of the Abbey, the shipyard, the BOCM Mill, and a Council meeting.
A comprehensive amateur travelogue through the rural and urban landscape of Northumberland and Tyne and Wear filmed by Vic Cross.
This 1977 compilation was made to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Newcastle & District Amateur Cinematographers Association (ACA). It consists of extracts from the cine club's films, documentary footage of film shoots and studio work, and presentations at the club, from the club's first decade through to the 1960s.


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The cocktail circuit is looking for a new deal in Pyongyang. However, it is style over substance. Real change will take decades.
Filed Under: KIM JONG-IL, NORTH KOREA, RI SOL JUN
The cocktail circuit is looking for a new deal in Pyongyang. However, it is style over substance. Real change will take decades.
Filed Under: KIM JONG-IL, NORTH KOREA, RI SOL JUN
Aleppo is the commercial heart of Syria. The regime cannot afford to lose it. Much blood will flow before a victor emerges.
Filed Under: ALEPPO, FIGHTING, REFUGEES, SYRIA, TURKEY
Billy Elliot is more than a musical. It brings to life the hard existence of people. Go and see it.
|La-La Land Economics by Ben Delicious
The fine men and women from the credit agencies, who have managed to miss practically all calamities in the past including the biggie, the financial meltdown of 2008 even though the writing was on the wall for years, have now flexed their muscles again and have given their verdict on Britain's credit rating, keeping it a cool AAA. Despite, I hasten to add, the small matter of the British economy having one of the fiercest recessions in recent memory.
Yes, the lads and lasses from Standard & Poor ratings agency have confirmed their authority and sharp instincts by confirming Britain's triple 'A' credit rating, opening all sorts of mouthwatering possibilities for the government to borrow even more money cheaply while claiming that it is successfully battling the budget deficit and the national debt generally. (So that you know, the UK national debt officially stands at just over £1 trillion, but with all the hidden extras like pension black holes and liabilities under private finance initiatives is closer to £5 trillion.)Although it is still unclear how exactly SP came to its conclusion about Britain's strong financial worthiness Chancellor George Osborne, who is facing calls to step down for his handling of the economy, has been quick to do a celebratory song and dance, claiming among other things that the world still has confidence in Britain. George provided some very strange lyrics for his songs though saying that the budget deficit has fallen by a quarter and that employment was rising and more than 800,000 new jobs were created, without mentioning how many jobs have folded and how many people are without work. He also sang that Britain is now exporting more to the world than is the rest of Europe. Yep, that is how it is in la-la land economics: Britain is going through a recession and still manages to outstrip all of Europe, including the mighty Germany, when it comes to exports. (Men in white coats, you better keep a close eye on George.)The great thing about la-la land economics is that you can make any sorts of statements you want and quote any sorts of figures you desire, as long as you manage to keep a straight face and not burst out laughing.
Filed Under: CREDIT RATING, ECONOMICS, STANDARD AND POOR'S
Chinese growth rates are declining. Investment has to be cut back to improve living standards, social care and education. Tension is in the air.
The opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics was a celebration of Britishness. With all the huge talents gathering together.
|Стирринг Троубле Интернатионалли Гу Лаилаи Подцаст
via stirringtroubleinternationally.coм Welcome to STI Ltd Stirring Trouble Internationally podcast automated podcast for the blind.
Gu Suhua writes from Beijing: The infighting at the very top of the Chinese leadership continues. And it worries a lot of people, in China and beyond.
Turkey has the right to intervene in Syria according to a mutual treaty. The international coalition may follow. But this will merely be the prelude to further fighting in Syria.
"Brigadier Manaf Tlas, one of the high ranking defectors, is calling on all officers and soldiers to desert the regime.
He sees himself as the new Bashar al Assad. Herein lies a problem for Turkey and the anti-Syrian coalition. BASHAR AL ASSAD, BRIGADIER MANAF TLAS, FREE SYRIAN ARMY, REFUGEES, SYRIA, TURKEY."
|George and the Gang
First comes the announcement that the British economy dips 0.7 per cent in the second quarter of the year, third time in a row, and then the government announces that it is holding an InvestmentSummit on the eve of the useless Olympic Games that would add substantially to the national debt burden, hoping – wait for it – to convince foreign big business to invest over £1 billion into industry. And the day before Chancellor George Osborne tells wide eyed hacks that a relentless focus on the economy is needed, as if he was prevented from doing that by forces beyond his control.
And if you add to this some other crazy goings on like the bank of England blowing £375 billion of newly printed money on quantitative easing, as techniques that was invented to help banks get out of trouble while presenting it as an attempt to save the whole economy, you will be getting a taste of the la-la land economics that are practiced by George and the gang.
Taking a sceptical look at the London Olympics. It's not a good time to die or drive around.
Iraq is a bloody mess and getting worse by the day. Afghanistan is the same. And so is Libya.
Why is it that the West gets it all wrong all the time? via stirringtroubleinternationally.com
Related files: CAR BOMB, IRAQ, NATO, TALIBAN
How credit agencies can throw the markets off course. Get rid of them and let's go back to personal judgment.
Registered under BANKING, ECONOMY, MOODY'S, STANDARD AND POOR read more to learn more check us
out on Google Currents for the best web application ever.
Tax havens were invented by Britain and America. It is natural, if you are rich, to keep as much of it as possible.
So despite all the rhetoric about being immoral, tax havens are here to stay.Relevant taxonomy:
CAYMENT ISLANDS, CHINA, INCOME TAX, TAX HAVENFor more details go to stirringtroubleinternationally.com
Mark Donahue writes from Baltimore: During a fundraising expedition in Maryland over the weekend, Vice President Biden stopped at a summer camp a few miles outside Baltimore and visited with dozens of kids aged 5 to 13 years old.
The children were visibly excited to share part of their afternoon with Joe Biden thanks to the Red Bull and Sugar free cookies. Read on - stirringtroubleinternationally.com
Why is the world media ignoring the trial of Khmer Rouge leaders who were responsible for the deaths of two million Cambodians? Has it something to do with the fact that the Khmer Rouge were communists?
Read more from original source via stirringtroubleinternationally.com News around the world from Cambodia to Pol Pott.
The developing world is growing and accounting for more and more of global consumption. By 2030 it will be half. Tough times ahead.
To continue reading ... stirringtroubleinternationally.com Tags: automotive industry, Cars, China, India
David Cameron is not his own man – he is trying to be Tony Blair II. Since Tony was a failure, Cameron is on the path to oblivion.stirringtroubleinternationally.com
Gays are now accepted in the military. However, there are greater problems to overcome. The military need to ease their boys into civilian life again. A huge task. via stirringtroubleinternationally.com
50 Shades of Grey is crap but phenomenonally bestselling crap. Is it going to pervert any reader? No. It is fantasy and the reader knows this.
What's the best way to deal with depression when the depression goes beyond any medical prescription? Books like this will help. Most people are lucky enough when depressed to have sex, perhaps this is why this book is a best seller right now. Many people engage in reading this type of book, some think the only way they can engage in reading is by reading something that gets them excited. The Book 50 Shades of Grey is being reviewed over on Stirring Trouble Internationally. Two authors have reviewed this book now. Another way of gauging how popular this topic is check out Favestar.fm a sub-sect of Twitter. Its a place where people pay to sound of about their cats, and share about there gripes and frustrations. Generally members who have accounts get and get to give awards for the days most popular rant. Books like this will sell there like hot cakes, just like they are on Amazon.
Tags: FIFTY SHADES OF GREY, ROMANTIC FICTION, SEXUAL FANTASIES
|A Killing Spree At A Showing
Of The New Batman Film?
A Case Of The Script Spilling Into Real Life
|Barbie® - Kelly®'s friend Tommy®
as Chucky from "Child's Play" (2006)
(Photo credit: Charles (dollstuff.net))
Looking at the massacre in Colorado and concluding that it's not the guns that are to blame but the cult of violence that is promoted by Hollywood and the box. via stirringtroubleinternationally.com


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As I mentioned, I went to a shaman a while ago, you know, as you do when you're in the middle of an existential crisis. Plus it had been the subject of endless debate and derision among our Friday night drinking buddies what our power animals would be ever since my friend H. went and found out she was a sandhill crane. Speculation ranged from amoeba to bald eagle, depending on whether we liked each other or not that day.
I tend to approach life in a clinical, detached way, always an observer. My first degree was in social anthropology, and I can't tell whether my outlook on life made me choose that or whether it chose me like one of those Hogwarts stick thingies. So when my friend J decided that she wanted a trip to the shaman for her birthday I immediately said "hells yeah, let's call Manfred the shaman" and resolved that I would remain detached and observe. But in the meantime a bunch of shit happened and I decided that I wasn't going to be all clinical and detached about anything. I was going to believe in the shaman. This was both exhilarating and terrifying; my spirit animal could be something totally kickass like a grizzly bear. But what if what if he told me I had no soul? Or a demon following me around? Or a terrible spirit animal like a vole? Basically I think it's terrifying to have someone describe anything about your character; I mean, it's hard for me to even read comments to my opinions on facebook. How was I going to face the animal spirits? They probably saw me litter, or how much road rage I get, or that I am secretly too lazy to read real newspapers. They know what an asshole I am in private. Like real life Santa.
Thankfully my friend J had the same concerns, so when I arrived at her house before the shaman we shared a jittery breakfast and hardly spoke to each other. We made nervous conversation about whether we were supposed to tip him, or whether we'd have to smoke anything. We just didn't know what we were getting into.
When I got there I chickened out and changed tactics and decided to remain skeptical. However, it's hard to maintain skepticism when shamanism sounds so practical. Seriously.. look it up, it makes a lot of sense if you remove all the power animal language. Also, it's especially hard to maintain skepticism when a perfect stranger describes your best friend in the exact terms that you used during your last wine fueled "you're the best, I love you" session. We have often described our friend J as the most "live and let live" type of person that ever existed. It's basically the only way she could possibly cope with us and we're eternally grateful that she does, so we praise her for it often. Turns out, J is a horse and apparently that is a distinctly horse trait. Among many other things which describe J perfectly that I won't get into because I think J might stomp her foot at me and run away from me forever if I post too much, which is another horse trait. While the shaman was detailing J's awesome personality traits, I started to nervously laugh, which descended into hysterical panic at what he would describe the me as.
That hysterical panic is indicative of river otter energy, and turns out I was right to be afraid. While I was initially pleased that I wasn't a vole, this soon turned to dismay. I am paraphrasing, but the shaman said that the river otter is an animal different from all other animals. Our job is to provide levity to the universe. However, most animals don't "get" us and our river otter energy is often compromised by fed up parents who don't know how to handle us, and are frankly probably too tired to try. We're insatiably curious and we don't like rules. The shaman described his river otter granddaughter as someone who always finished assignments quickly and perfectly and then spent all of her spare energy goofing around and driving her sandhill crane sister into madness with her complete disrespect for authority. She quits things when they stop being fun anymore. He said this all with an undertone of annoyance and then quickly added that his own bison spirit could be enticed to play sometimes when he was in the mood, but I am pretty sure he just said it because I was on the verge of tears. The shaman called me annoying. I am pretty sure that is not copacetic. On the plus side, it now makes sense about the time my swimming instructor called me a "natural floater". I am a river otter, asshole, not fat.
So anyway… I am a misunderstood river otter. Now what? I'll tell you what; I have ordered every piece of river otter art I can find on Etsy, that's what. What else are you going to do with the knowledge of your spirit animal?
Also: my friend I. gave me some assurance that at least I wasn't a sea otter, because sea otters are notorious rapists. So there's that.


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Springfield Armory has issued a limited recall on a run of their extremely popular XD-S concealed-carry pistols. The recall is for both 9mm and .45 ACP models of handguns.
This is a voluntary safety recall for a very rare problem that causes the gun to fire when chambering a round and may also cause pistols to double-fire. This is only for the new single-stack XD-S pistols, not the subcompact, compact, full-size or competition XD-M pistols.
Springfield is asking all users to verify if their XD-S pistol fall within the serial number range of potentially-affected handguns.
"We want to emphasize that no injuries have been reported to date," explains Springfield on the recall information page. (The page is down at the time of writing, likely due to a traffic overload. That said, the page to get a shipping label is working fine.)
According to the press release, this safety recall applies only to:
- Springfield 3.3 XD-S 9mm pistols – serial numbers between XS900000 and XS938700
- Springfield 3.3 XD-S .45ACP pistols – serial numbers between XS500000 and XS686300
If you cannot get access to Springfield's recall website, call them at 800-680-6866 to arrange your safety upgrade.
This news just days after Smith & Wesson issued a safety notice to all M&P Shield pistols, which are similar single-stack concealed-carry pistols.
The Springfield XD-S is a redesigned version of the successful XD-M and XD series of service pistols. The XD-S pistols have been widely praised for their quality build, fit and finish, as well as for their "shootability." Although they are small and light handguns, they're easy to handle and shoot quickly and have solid, visible sights.
The guns' all-around appeal mean that they've been flying off shelves, and there are many in circulation even though they have only recently been introduced.
If you one of these potentially-dangerous handguns, whether it's a Springfield or a Smith & Wesson, please check to see if your gun is affected. And if you know anyone with an XD-S or M&P Shield, make sure they know that these guns are under safety alerts.
Although it's not uncommon for gun companies to feel the pains of recall, it's surprising that two of the most popular new guns for concealed-carry are having serious issues. This is a rough week for many people who carry guns on a regular basis.
The post BREAKING: Springfield Armory Issues Safety Recall on XD(s) Pistols appeared first on Guns.com.


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Shortly thereafter I received a brief note acknowledging receipt of the letter and telling me that it was not being directed to the Commissioner but to some lacky in the Small Business section.
I heard no more regarding my initial letter to the Commissioner until a week ago this past Sunday, when I found the following letter waiting for me at my mail drop –
"Dear Mr Flach:
I am writing in response to your letter dated June 22, 2009, addressed to the Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service regarding oversight of tax preparers. Thank you for taking time to express your views on this very important topic.
As you are aware, the role of tax return preparers within the tax system has increasingly become more critical. Large percentages of taxpayers use a return preparer to prepare their tax returns. Consequently, the IRS is committed to strengthening our partnership with the return preparer community. Our goal is to improve the service taxpayers receive from all preparers by increasing our emphasis on preparer's adherence to professional and ethical standards.
The IRS recognizes there are large numbers of tax preparers who are diligent and provide exceptional service to taxpayers. When tax professionals like you provide clients with accurate, complete and timely assistance, you ease the burden for them and the IRS. We comment and acknowledge your important role.
We are still in the initial phase of the return preparer review, currently gathering opinions and input from a broad range of external and internal stakeholders. This review is very broad and it includes potential options around licensing, registration, testing, enforcement, ethics and the expanded use of the PTIN. We recognize any changes we make will also impact taxpayers, and we want to ensure all taxpayer rights are adequately and consistently addressed.
Again, thank you for providing input on the topic of tax return preparers. Your feedback has also been provided to the team that is assessing all of the comments. We value all of our stakeholders' comments and appreciate your continued support as we strive to maintain the fairest and most effective system of voluntary tax compliance in the world.
Karen L Hawkins
Director, Office of Professional Responsibility"
I had also written directly to the "team" with my updated and "evolved" thoughts on the regulation of tax preparers in response to a later call for comments. My letter was included in the post "Dear IRS". I received a very brief letter of acknowledgement, which I quoted in "FYI – This Just In".
Stacie Clifford Kitts quoted an IRS notice in her post "Unenrolled Preparers - IRS Wants Your Comments -Tax Payer Standards" which announced that "the third and final public forum to gather input on tax return preparer standards will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 30, in Chicago. It will feature two panels of representatives from the software and unenrolled preparer industries and be moderated by IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman."
The notice goes on to say that - "The forum will convene at 9 a.m. CT in the J.R. Thompson Center at 100 W. Randolph St., Chicago, IL 60601, in the lower level auditorium. Anyone interested in attending should confirm attendance by sending an e-mail message to email@example.com."
The "unenrolled preparer industries" I would expect refers to the likes of Henry and Richard, Jackson Hewitt, and Liberty Tax Service.
I have reported on the "testimony" given at the previous two public forums in several posts here at TWTP, and will also do so for this final forum in the beginning of October.


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The ElectraFlyer X – 100% Electric Flight
This remarkable 2 seat plane is powered by a 50hp onboard electric motor and a lithium-polymer battery pack, it can reach speeds in excess of 100mph and can stay airborne for 2 hours non-stop. Originally based on a low-drag glider the ElectraFlyer X is set to cost $65,000 USD when it goes on sale in kit form. Lanjut →


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A. The cost to travel from Europe to America varied by the class, the departure port and the destination, just as today we have different fares to travel by air. Around the turn of the 20th century, a typical steamship one-way passage was from $10 to $35 for third class (steerage), $40 for second class and $80 for first. But just as airline-ticket costs fluctuate today, prices rose and fell when our ancestors came to America by ship. It might be more costly to go during a particular season than another. If you know the name of the ship, the steamship line and precisely when your grandparents came, you might be able to find more specific costs by contacting maritime museums, such as The National Maritime Museum <www.rmg.co.uk/national-maritime-museum> or Mystic Seaport Museum <www.mysticseaport.org>. For links to maritime museums on the Web, go to <www.execpc.com/~reva/html3e2.htm>. Although the company doesn't do research, New Steamship Consultants' ocean liner memorabilia Web site <www.oceanliner.com/sf.htm> sells brochures listing steamships' schedules and fares. You can also try contacting the steamship line directly, if it's still in operation. Most published sources about the immigrant experience contain the average fares as mentioned above.
From the April 2002 issue of Family Tree Magazine


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Ho boy. You see that kitten? That means it's time for another friendly PSA here on the TAY.
Todays topic is all about getting featured on the Kotaku front page and in the daily round up. Now, do you have to write articles that will appeal to the masses? No. Absolutely not. In fact here at the TAY I'm glad to say we have a mixed bag of widely accessible content and some that is more fined tuned to us as a community.
But let's say you wanted to try and get your work featured. Views aren't everything, but they can certainly help you get some serious exposure if you're attempting to get noticed. Plus, it's just kinda nice when lots of people read the words you took the time to type up for free. I'm not trying to make this sound like work, and I'm certainly not saying we need more quality articles on TAY. Far from it. I'm just here to give you some tips on HOW to get featured, should you want to try.
Cover something Kotaku hasn't
Chances are your review of that AAA console game isn't going to be featured as its own article on the Kotaku front page. It may be mentioned at the end of a Kotaku Review or in a round up, but if you really want to get your own audience you need to post something Kotaku hasn't. For example - Kotaku did not cover Inazuma Eleven, thus Zarnyx got a full feature of her review on the game. This doesn't just apply to reviews either. Try to pick a topic the main site hasn't hit upon to capture the interest of the Kotaku writers.
Write on topics others can relate to or get them interested
Why would someone click on your article? Is it funny? Does it have an fascinating view of some new or old title? If your article only covers something very very niche or something that's kind of a TAY inside joke odds are others aren't going to take the time to read it. A great example of this would be InvadingDucks "Quick-Quack: Why I Love Terrible Games" article, which was promoted on the Kotaku Facebok page. Even this article could have potentially gotten more views had it not been for the "Quick Quack" at the start. If you are trying to get people interested in a very specific or irregular topic make sure you can convince them it's worth the read with an engaging title and opening paragraph. Speaking of which...
Use a title everyone can understand
When I posted my interview with David Wise it was originally titled "Serious Monkey Business: An Interview with David Wise". Then I thought Do everyday gamers know who David Wise even is? Will this title pull them in at all? I decided it wouldn't, so I changed the title to "Catching Up With the Man who Made Donkey Kong Country's Brilliant Music". It's certainly a mouthful, but it does include a more direct connection with the world of video games. Millions of people know the DKC series and remember its music, so now they'll want to read my article about David Wise and his contributions to the series! Try your best to make the title something accessible to every Joe Shmoe with a dualshock.
Write good
By which I mean write well. This one is kind of a no brainer. If your writing is full of errors or it doesn't flow worth a darn then don't expect much of an audience (unless that is a part of your gimmick). I will always step in to make minor grammatical and spelling fixes, but the admins aren't going to overhaul your whole article for you. This usually isn't an issue on the TAY, so keep up the solid writing folks!
Include relevant and alluring pictures
There are loads of images floating around the web for one to choose from. Adding a picture here and there to break up the text can really help the flow of an article. Place pictures throughout and try not to over do it. This can change depending on the subject, but just use your best judgement. Remember - the magic number for pictures is 640 pixels wide, assuming you want to get rid of that pesky "expand" button.
Don't expect news to be featured
This rule is pretty straight forward. Unless you're doing an in depth analysis of a newly released trailer chances are you're not going to get featured on the main page.
Bonus: You just got featured!
Congrats! You must have written something truly fantastic. Your inbox may be blowing up with comments and recommendations so keep a cool head. Also understand that this opens up your article to all sort of idiots and trolls across the web. If anyone is harassing you or trying to pick a fight just let one of the TAY admins know and we'll do our best to handle the situation. We have no qualms with banning jerks. On the other hand try your best to respond to those who took the time to leave positive comments on your article, assuming you can keep up. It's also nice to recommend the comments of the grey folks at the bottom so their voices can also be heard.
Obviously if you hit all these standards the odds you'll be featured on your own are much higher. If you hit most of them then you should at least be in the running for the daily round up. No guarantees, of course. If you have any more tips you think I should add to list feel free to leave them in the comments and I'll look over them.
Thanks for listening!


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Fourth Consecutive Year, Fairway Voted 'Best Mortgage Company to Work For'September 25, 2017 12:00 am
I am thrilled to announce that for the fourth year in a row, Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation has been named the #1 Best Mortgage Company to Work For in the United States by Mortgage Executive Magazine.
Each day at Fairway, we put our best foot forward to create an incredible experience for our customers and an incredible work environment for our colleagues.
Our team is outstanding and I am proud to work where employees are valued. I would like to show you how hard we will work for you.


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[This is a re-post of my review from the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival. The Iceman opens today in limited release.]
The Iceman is a hitman movie. It's about a hitman and nothing else. Director and co-writer Ariel Vromen takes no chances on his film based on the life of mob enforcer Richard Kuklinski. The movie paints a two-dimensional character, and then wants credit for not making him one-dimensional. There's more effort put into developing the characters' era-appropriate facial hair than developing the story into anything more than a description of Kuklinski's actions. Only Michael Shannon's overpowering screen presence stops The Iceman from being the driest crime drama in recent memory.
Richard Kuklinski (Shannon) was always a violent murderer. Mobster Roy Demeo (Ray Liotta) just gave Kuklinski a way to use his inherent tendencies to make some money. The story then plays like a recreation of real events from 1964 to 1982 rather than something resembling a dramatic arc. Kuklinski is fundamentally the same at the beginning of the movie as he is at the end of the movie. He was a killer with a code and a very short temper. Only his external circumstances changed, and not to the extent where he was forced to seriously reexamine his life.
But The Iceman wants us to believe Kuklinski is a compelling figure because even though he may have killed over 100 people during his career as a hitman, he also loved his family. This is not a mind-blowing concept. We've all seen gangster movies, and the notion of a sociopath who loves his family isn't some startling revelation. The only difference between Kuklinski and these fictional felons is a body count. And that number should be meaningless. Is a hitman who kills twenty people a better person than a hitman who kills twenty-one people? Making Kuklinski a steadfast family man almost makes the character less interesting because we know that all of his actions will revolve around the preservation of his family.
Anything that feels special about the character comes from Shannon. What's most impressive about Shannon's performance is we've seen him play this kind of character before. Michael Shannon just knows how to play horrifying people. I've never met Michael Shannon, and he may be the nicest guy in the world, but you take one look at his face and you instantly believe that he's capable of murder. It's a testament to the actor's sheer charisma that he can take a familiar character, and make him feel fresh. On the page, there's nothing original about Kuklinski, but in Shannon's hands, the hitman feels like a giant of mafia history.
And yet there's no denying how safe The Iceman feels. Vromen found a shocking real-life criminal, but didn't uncover anything compelling about Kuklinski. We never learn why Kuklinski is worthy of a movie as opposed to any other real-life hitman. Vromen doesn't even play up Kuklinski's prolific body count, nor does the director seem particularly impressed with how Kuklinski earned his nickname "The Iceman" (he froze the bodies of his victims so the cops wouldn't be able to tell the time of death). With no insight into Kuklinski, his crimes, or the place of the hitman in modern American crime fiction, Vromen has simply made a movie that allows Michael Shannon to terrify the audience. But with an actor like Shannon, that's almost good enough.
Rating: C


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For this post, collected together from recent comments I have made at Reality Sandwich, Facebook, and in dialogue with a protesting pal, I'd like to address what I see as the delusional aspect of the Occupy Movement, and how all social activism only strengthens the structures that are being challenged. This is not necessarily a bad thing, however, except insofar as people set about with specific purpose and results in mind, and so become frustrated and disillusioned. It's the delusional aspect which I perceive as the negative, and not the activism per se, which is as valid a way to pass the time as any other (for some people at least). There's a growing belief, however, that the "global revolution" is evidence of a collective shift in consciousness and—taking it to the next "logical" deduction—that it is actually the means to it. In my opinion nothing could be further from the truth, for reasons which I will outline as best as I can.
Anonymous is interesting to me in this regard, because Anonymous exists in a shadow realm between the paradigms, without obviously belonging to either of them. Actually, I would suggest that there are three paradigms relevant to this present discussion: 1) the ruling paradigm of money, power, etc. 2) the opposing paradigm of rebellion, resistance, community values and individual expression. 3) the paradigm which I will attempt to describe in this post, a paradigm which perceives the first two paradigms as merely mirror images of one another, and therefore as equally obsolete. In my estimation, Anonymous, which exists somewhere between the second and third paradigms, is not causing change, social or otherwise, but merely a surface manifestation of a change that is already happening. Like their inspirational character Guy Fawkes/V, Anonymous works with fireworks, creating a dazzling play of light and shadows that is of no actual consequence, finally. To my mind it is that very inconsequentiality that makes it all the more pure.
While speaking recently to Ramsey Dukes about the subject, Ramsey commented on the difference between art and magik: magik, he said, is trying to bring about desired results/change, while art is simply creative release of energies, followed by a getting to see how those energies bring about change, independent of our will. (In Ramsey's fourfold model of Magik-Art-Religion-Science, magik evolves into art.) The Occupy Movement (at best magik) overlaps with Anonymous (at best art), because some protesters wear masks, and Anonymous encourages and even plans protests. And like Anonymous, the Occupy Movement is a manifestation of change, rather than a catalyst for it. The primary difference is that, unlike Anonymous, my impression is that many or most of the OM participants believe that they are bringing about change, or at least aspiring to do so.
This is a key difference. It is the difference between letting a zeitgeist (spirit) move through one (without needing to understand it) and trying to move things oneself towards a desired end. For example, I might be writing this piece in order to persuade others of my point of view. On the other hand, I might simply be using words as a means to see what's moving around inside, and coming through me, without any specific result in mind. In reality, it is a bit of both—how effective this piece is will be the only real determinant of how much my ego is preventing real "play" (and hence communication) from occurring.
Another difference is that between recognizing tyranny, oppression, etc., for what they, without making a value judgment about them, and having a personal issue with them. Ditto writing this piece: if I recognize the delusional aspect of the Occupy Movement, can I do so without feeling superior to it or seeing it as a "problem" that needs to be fixed? For Anonymous and all those who wish to approach life (including tyranny and oppression) in a similar spirit of play, the global control system is not a problem to be fixed but a worthy opponent in a great game of cosmic ping pong. The difference between the two opponents is that one side knows it's all a game, while the other side views it with deadly seriousness. When activists take their "revolution" seriously, I would argue that they are unwittingly joining the side they are opposing, because they are sharing in the same "spirit" with it.
Revolution and tyranny are twin horns of the same demon, and the proof is that, just as physical law demands, resistance makes stronger. Based on the indications of "history" (i.e., prior experience), opposing power structures only reinforces and strengthens those same structures in the long run. As exhibit A for this argument, I present "9/11" and the resulting "war on terror," the Patriot Act, and the myriad ways in which the US (and global) government used an act of resistance to consolidate its political power, and extend the apparatus of tyranny, the same tyranny which the attack on the twin towers was (allegedly) intended to undermine.
As I see it (and admittedly having no direct experience of the protests or encampments), the Occupy Movement has two purposes. Firstly it is an opportunity for people to get together and connect in a "fun" way that beats getting fucked up on drugs and alcohol. Secondly, it is serving to widen the gulf between the socio-political power structures (and the supposed "elite" behind them, the 1%) and "the people" (the 99%) who are both subject to those structures and, paradoxically, who support them by relying upon them. As evidenced by the recent police backlash, the Occupy Movement acts to further energize the old "us and them" polarity, in both the collective and individual psyche. This is all "positive" enough in terms of enacting the Christian psychodrama of Armageddon. But is that what's really desired here?
It seems to me that the Occupiers actually want to improve their lot, and the lot of the alleged "oppressed," and here, perhaps, is the problem. I would argue that all of us are equally oppressed regardless of our social conditions, and that to try and improve those conditions by resisting governmental corruption is like rearranging the furniture in a house that is on fire. In which case, my guess is that the children of the revolution are going to be sorely disappointed when they see that the Occupation Movement— by energizing the "enemy"— leads to the exact opposite result to that expected, i.e., to the concretization of tyranny.
I would also guess that many of the more conscious participants—on both sides—know this, though I may be wrong about that, since nothing blinds people to the truth so much as ideals. It does strike me as interesting that, despite how well-versed in esoteric concepts many of the OM-ers are, they appear to be operating under a relatively naïve, or shallow, interpretation of social change, just as if it were ordinary political structures and corrupt human beings that were running the show, rather than millennia-long collective, ancestral patterns (a.k.a. "demons") of denial. To resort to a whopping great cliché—no change can occur externally unless it come about as a ripple-down effect of an internal shift. Occupying cities is a great diversion from the oppression of our lives, but that perhaps makes it more likely to postpone such an internal psychic shift, or "revolution," than to bring it about.
To be clear: I am not opposed to the Occupy Movement, or to defying the "system." It is a collective ego trip, in my opinion, but that isn't meant as a value judgment, because a collective ego trip may be just what we need right now, as a species. The only thing I am opposed to is delusion, and since I have my hands full getting past my own delusions, the reader may well ask why I am wasting my time challenging other people's delusions. I would have no good answer to that, except to say that I enjoy challenging other people's delusions. My comments about the Occupy Movement and all the rest are no more meaningful or important than the movement itself. They are also, to a degree, exhortations of my ego, with something deeper and more real moving around underneath them. I will say this: those who believe the Occupy Movement is part of a collective shift do not need to defend it from my "heretical" ideas, because, if they are right, nothing I say will make any difference.
But from my point of view, the whole movement is about improving conditions for individuals (and groups of them), which implies that it's sourced in separative, ego consciousness, and that those involved are trying to enact a shift externally. As a kind of cathartic theater, it might be (somewhat) effective, but that would depend on recognizing it as theater, geared not towards reforming outer structures but towards an internal change in the participants themselves. The Occupy Movement is all part of a larger process, for sure, but so is the tyranny, and so is everything else. I'm mostly concerned that a lot of people are going to have their hopes dashed (as previously with Obama) when they realize that the nature of tyranny is that it does not give into pressure . Or at least, it never has before.
At the same time, I think it points at a much larger delusion. The idea of "human rights" is assumed by the liberal mind-set to be a progressive one. It is a given. But the idea leads inevitably onto criminal rights, animal rights, insect rights, and so on. So where does the concept of rights end? Virus rights? Bacteria rights? Disease rights? Isn't the idea of rights a human/ego-centric concept, one with social and political significance but no wider meaning, because no equivalent in the natural order of existence? Isn't it just another imposition of the human ego on what already is? I would argue that none of us have rights because none of us need rights.
The idea of rights being ego-centric doesn't mean it can be dismissed, however, any more than a symptom of a disease should be dismissed. My point, if any, is that the idea of human rights is part of the problem and not the solution. It stems from a very deeply-embedded idea we have in the West, the idea of entitlement, the idea that we deserve better. The only way to argue that we deserve better, however, is to argue that God/the Universe has made a balls up of things because we aren't getting what we want. Most of us feel that way (I know I do); but to turn it into a philosophy and a rationale for social activism is to take it from mere childish pouting into the realm of hubris. There's an argument for hubris, too, of course, so once again, no value judgment is implied.... But again, if people are protesting because they believe they deserve better, that's a sense of entitlement. According to what logic do we deserve better? The answer is, according to human (egocentric) logic, a logic based on the illusion of being separate from the system, both the little system of government, commerce, and social oppression, and the greater system of life as a whole. To oppose the little system is also to oppose the greater system, to defy the gods, as it were. If we were to free our minds first, mightn't we find that the system of oppression we exist under is exactly the way it is supposed to be, along with everything else?
Unless our idea of God is the rather antiquated notion of an outside intelligence lording it over things, then the buck must always stop with divine—the greater intelligence of the whole system—and not at any point before that. To try and blame a system or group or individual for the way things are is tantamount to saying that they/it are separate from the divine, and so they can, and even must, be eliminated for the good of all! To fight for one's personal sovereignty or impose one's idea of what constitutes a good or proper life on to another person or group of people = egotism. To fight for other peoples' right to personal sovereignty = egotism + arrogance. It is true that people seem to be suffering everywhere, and that it seems like an unnecessary result of a few psychopathic scumbags abusing their power. But a seeming isn't necessarily a reality. If we see someone dying in a gutter, rather than rushing over to help them, isn't it wisest to ask them first if they want to be helped? They might be doing a Diogenes and consider our "help" an intrusion.
The Occupy Movement is based on value judgments about what constitutes a good society, a positive direction for humans to move in, and at least partially on the assumption that "one utopia fits all." At the same time, the idea of what we need seems to stem largely from a reaction-response to the way things are, i.e., from resistance to an existing way of life deemed to be "unjust" and undesirable. All these occupiers may get along fabulously as long as they have a common foe to oppose and can agree, more or less, on the way things ought to be. But what would happen if that enemy (those old outworn structures) were suddenly gone? If there is a shared need to identify and oppose "the other" (corporate oppression, government corruption, etc.) which is bringing these people together, then if victory did occur, wouldn't they need to find someone or something else to oppose? And wouldn't they be forced to find it within their own ranks?
Once again, I am open to the idea that getting involved in protests may have a liberating effect on the participants (or at least some of them), just as playing a good game of soccer or participating in a theatrical or musical performance can be liberating (and empowering).The obvious question then is, would that still be the case if the participants accepted that the Occupy Movement was futile, in terms of bringing about social change—or even that it was eventually going to have the opposite effect to the one desired? Would the participants still be willing to engage just for the hell of it—for "lulz"? It is that spirit of play—serious play—that is the spirit of real change.
As mentioned earlier, some people believe that the Occupy Movement and its other manifestations is an expression of a "collective shift" pertaining to the coming Age of Aquarius, the sign that rules the collective. However, the shadow of Aquarius is (its opposite sign) Leo, which signifies individual sovereignty and self-expression. This would support my description of the Occupy Movement as a collective ego trip, as an expression of Leo disguised as an Aquarian movement. The shadow (delusion) heralds the coming of an objective reality, however, so it is only right if things unfold in this way. What would be a mistake would be to take the shadow for the substance, the hope/illusion for reality.
My sense is strong that, if and when a collective shift comes, we won't have anything to do with it, and most of us probably won't even know what hits us. It might be suggested that the Occupy Movement is laying the foundation for the shift, but I would argue that there is no foundation either possible or needed for such a shift. What there is, perhaps, is a clearing the ground, a razing, not for some utopian edifice to be constructed but for an unknown new life to burst forth, over time, from that charred land.
In the meantime, a lot of people are getting their hopes up around the movement, just as they did recently with ObaMa (OM baa). I would wager it is many of the same people, too. It's well and good for people to get out and engage with each other, and again, it makes a nice change from watching TV or bowling. It's also perhaps a natural expression of "the masses" to revolt, so by all means let them incur the wrath of the powers-that-be so that more people can see the iron fist in action and better understand the nature of the Beast. The trouble starts when people begin to take their activism too seriously and invest, both emotionally and psychologically, in some imagined, desired (and desirable) end result. Then they are setting themselves up, not only for disappointment, but for levels of bitterness and rage which they may not be able to deal with (or express constructively, much less creatively). Ironically it is probably such bitterness and (out)rage that got many people out there in the first place; but in the end, I predict it's that same energy which will lead many people to unwittingly join the demon-forces which they are so passionately set against. They will then be swallowed up by the beast, even as it devours itself.
While Rome burns, people may as well fiddle. All change is good. But what is oppressing us, in my opinion, is not any external structures but rather our own self-importance, our sense of entitlement in the face of a shitty world and a bleak future. It is up to us, as individuals, to let go of that pride so as not to choke on it first. I am fairly sure that, if people managed to let go of their self-importance, they wouldn't need to protest or to do anything else besides take care of themselves and those closest to them. And if everyone did that, there'd be no need for mass movements. We might then start to see that our conditions are only and exactly what we need, collectively, that the shift, if it is to come, will happen via such conditions and not despite them, and that all any of us needs to do to change our lives is simply to let go.
No matter what sort of conditions we are living under, that's really all that any of us can do, in any case —let go and remember how to play.


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This Guy Claims To Have Snatched Yelawolf's Chain During Wiz Khalifa Concert & Calls Him Out For Having A Weak Piece! "You Got Some Hot Topic Sh*t."
This was the alleged chain that Yelawolf wore recently in the BET HIP Hop awards in his performance with Big Boi. Is that it or are they lying?
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The Ultimate Benefits of Ginger Root Tea
Having a cup of ginger root tea is followed from the olden days and is a regular custom in some countries still now. Ginger, packed with lots of antioxidants and vital minerals for your body has caught the attention of many. This is an ingredient that would always be available in your kitchen shelf as it forms an essential part of cooking as it belongs to the herb family. This is especially a good choice to have it during the winter. It also offers you the much needed lift to your mood swings and helps you to stay wide awake while preparing for any exams or working overtime on a project. More info on ginger root tea health benefits.
Relaxation of Senses
If you are working in a stressful environment, then having a cup of ginger root tea regularly is advisable as it offers much comfort to your senses and also relaxes you in a pleasant way. A whiff of the aroma of this tea would instantly improvise your mood and also clears you of all the troubles. It also has the ability to ward off the entire negative energy stored in your body. So having a cup of this tea every day morning would be a blessing in disguise to start the day with full energy and a fresh outlook.
Body Activation
Having a cup of ginger root tea would make you feel active as it improves the blood circulation that is necessary to stay away from the chills, excess sweating and fever. Also it has the ability to release the much needed minerals and amino acid ion to your body to ensure that the blood flow is smoother and also helps in preventing the risk of some cardiovascular diseases. This tea also helps in loosening the phlegm in your lungs. In addition to this, it helps in expansion of it to enable the smooth process of breathing, as well. Find out the effects of fresh ginger root tea recipe to arthritis.
Boasts Immunity
It also safeguards you against the regularly occurring common cold and flu. It also helps to pacify sneezing and other allergies which might otherwise put you in deep trouble. The antioxidants present in the ginger root tea helps in controlling the accumulation of fatty cells in your body thereby making your body to stay protected against the incident of stroke. This also helps in unclogging the arteries and lowering the level of cholesterol in your body. This paves way to stay healthy and stay away from heart attacks. It also has the ability to flush out the unwanted toxins in your body making it clean. Check out how ginger root tea aids in cold and flu relief.
Ginger Root Tea Preparation
This ginger root tea with so many remedial properties can be easily prepared in a jiffy. To the regular process of making your pot of tea, grate a piece of peeled and washed ginger slice and let it boil well. Take it away and strain and serve hot with or without sugar. You can also add a dash of milk to it for extra flavor. There is nothing equal than a hot cup of tea with the flavor and aroma of fresh ginger root to kick start a day in winter. Learn more about ginger tea recipe health benefits to your stomach and colon.
Ginger root tea with so many remedial properties can be easily prepared in a jiffy. There is nothing equal than a hot cup of tea with the flavor and aroma of fresh ginger root to kick start a day in winter. Why not give it a try?
Video on How To Make Strong Ginger Root Tea In Under 10 Minutes
The post Why is Having Ginger Tea Good for You? appeared first on Ginger Root Tea Blog.


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In September we mark a number of international observances. At UNRIC we'll be marking International Literacy Day along with UNESCO with a series of infographics and a Ciné-ONU screening, the theme of International Literacy Day 2012 is Literacy and Peace. We'll also observe the International Day of Democracy, the Day of Peace and World Tourism Day, among others.
United Nations observances contribute to the achievement of the purposes of the UN Charter and promote awareness of and action on important political, social, cultural, humanitarian or human rights issues.
International observances provide a useful means for the promotion of international and national action and stimulate interest in United Nations activities and programmes. For international years and decades the UN Secretary General takes action to establish the preparatory process, evaluation and follow-up procedures.
8 September
International Literacy Day [UNESCO]
10 September
World Suicide Prevention Day [WHO]
15 September
International Day of Democracy
16 September
International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer
21 September
International Day of Peace
27 September
World Tourism Day [UNWTO] | World Maritime Day [IMO]
28 September
World Rabies Day [WHO]
29 September
World Heart Day [WHO]
The majority of observances have been established by the UN General Assembly and some have been designated by UN specialized agencies.
The Brussels based United Nations Regional Information Centre for Western Europe - UNRIC provides information on UN activities to the countries of the region. It also provides liaison with institutions of the European Union in the field of information. Its outreach activities extend to all segments of society and joint campaigns, projects and events are organized with partners including the EU, governments, the media, NGOs, schools and local authorities.
United Nations Regional Information Centre for Western Europe (UNRIC Brussels)
Residence Palace, Rue de la Loi/Wetstraat 155, Block C2,7th and 8th floor, Brussels 1040, Belgium
Tel.: +32 2 788 8484 / Fax: 32 2 788 8485


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Page 7 of 10
Just to prove that no game can come close to Furmark temperatures, we also tested with the Lost Planet 2 Becnhmark, but we avoided the stock cooling due to the noise.
While Furmark maxed out with 81°C it's pretty clear that actual games will not reach such temperatures. With 69°C at it's lowest setting the Setsugen 2 is more than sufficient for cooling the HD6870.
At 1000rpm you get another 5°C off the card.
At full speed another 7°C are shaved off the temperature-scale.
As expected the 25mm does not do so well compared to the slim fan at full speed, but 61°C is just great for an inaudible cooling solution.


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Exclusive Sneak Peek: Alexa Chung Brings the Drama on '24 Hour Catwalk'
Designers are put to the test on the new series, which premieres on Lifetime on January 10
[brightcoveplayer 1303453614001]
Snarky comments, tons of tension … and live snakes? This isn't Project Runway, it's 24 Hour Catwalk, Lifetime's newest fashion design series, hosted by model Alexa Chung. The show, which kicks off Tuesday, Jan. 10 at 10 p.m. ET on Lifetime, pits four designers against one another to create collections and stage a runway show in, you guessed it, just 24 hours.
Each standalone episode features a "first-cut challenge" and elimination, narrowing the field to the two designers who'll compete in the runway show. Contestants are assigned a team of professional sewers — all of whom have strong opinions on style — and present their three-piece collections in front of a panel that includes designer Cynthia Rowley, fashion editor Derek Blasberg and publicist James LaForce, plus Chung.
Courtesy Lifetime
Though the task at hand is tough, the reward is sweet: each winner receives a $10,000 cash prize courtesy of CoverGirl and Herbal Essences. Check out the clip above for a sneak preview, and be sure to tune in on Jan. 10. Tell us: Will you watch 24 Hour Catwalk?


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Kings Beach, CA…The Placer County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to approve a resolution that will ban alcohol on the banks of the Truckee River from July 1 through July 6 each year.
At Tuesday's meeting in Kings Beach, board members also voted unanimously to adopt an ordinance that will include Chambers Landing Beach on Lake Tahoe at Homewood in the Fourth of July weekend alcohol ban.
Since 2008, Placer County has prohibited the possession of open alcohol containers during the Fourth of July weekend alongside the river from Lake Tahoe to Alpine Meadows. The ban was a response to alcohol-related problems created by the many rafters who descend on the river over the holiday weekend.
County Code generally prohibits alcohol from designated beach areas, but does not restrict alcohol at Chambers Landing Beach.
This year, the Sheriff's Office is seeking to extend the ban to Chambers Landing from July 1 through July 6. Holiday-weekend crowds at the beach have grown larger over the past few years because of the recognition that open alcoholic containers are allowed there, but not on the Truckee River.
In a report to the board, Sheriff Edward N. Bonner noted that the U.S. Forest Service has primary law enforcement responsibility for Chambers Landing, but does not have the manpower to maintain a presence at the beach during the Fourth of July weekend.
In past years, the Truckee River ban remained in effect throughout the Fourth of July weekend, but the dates covered by the ban changed from year to year based on the day of the week the holiday fell on.
At Tuesday's meeting in Kings Beach, the board approved the Sheriff's Office's request to provide for the ban to remain in force from July 1 through July 6 each year. The goal is to make it easier to notify the public and to encourage compliance by having the ban on the same days of the month each year.
Board Chairwoman Jennifer Montgomery, North Lake Tahoe's representative on the Board of Supervisors, said the alcohol ban appears to have strong support. "Frankly, everyone is very supportive of this because it has been such a huge improvement over years past," she said. "I look forward to a peaceful Fourth of July."
The Truckee River ban prohibits possession of open alcoholic containers on both sides of the river from its outfall at Lake Tahoe in Tahoe City to the upstream edge of the Alpine Meadows Bridge during the holiday weekend. The ban extends three feet up from the river's high water mark on each bank, including islands and bridges. The Fanny Bridge in Tahoe City is the only bridge excluded from the ban.
State law bans the possession of alcoholic beverages on the river and any of its islands during the Fourth of July weekend. The state has jurisdiction over the river itself, because it is considered a navigable waterway.
Sheriff's Capt. Jeff Ausnow told the board Tuesday the Truckee River ban has been successful, noting that last year the number of arrests for alcohol-related and other offenses over the holiday weekend was down dramatically from previous years.
Responding to a question, he emphasized that Placer County will use press releases, signage and other means to make sure the public is aware of the alcohol ban this year.
Placer County established its ban after years of alcohol-related problems on the river, including driving under the influence, being drunk in public, indecent exposure, fighting, and minors in possession of alcohol.
Violations of the ban are punishable by a fine not to exceed $150 for the first violation, $500 for the second violation and $1,000 for the third violation occurring in any calendar year.


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Vincent Gioia
There are two dangers facing the United States; one is a slow death and the other is faster. Under President Obama the country is losing its Constitution which is either ignored or revised by a Democrat controlled Congress and the White House which should be repainted pink. Around the world Islam is making headway and left unchecked will become the world religion (and I use the word "religion" loosely). Muslims are required by their holy book, the Koran, to eliminate everyone who doesn't subscribe to Islam. The Islamic army comprises radical terrorists, also known as Jihadists, and those not yet terrorists. Past U.S. presidents at least recognized the threat posed by Jihadists and that they were Muslims. However President Obama, (a one-time Muslim himself?), apologizes for American action against Islamic terrorists and minimizes the danger of Islam.
In Obama's speech on his Afghanistan strategy a few weeks ago he said in reference to Islamic terrorists, "As we know, these men belonged to al Qaeda — a group of extremists who have distorted and defiled Islam, one of the world's great religions, to justify the slaughter of innocents."
Obama would have us believe that "a group of extremists" are the only terrorists slaughtering innocents but the truth is they are not a "small" group and they are not all members of al Qaeda. Poll after poll shows that at least 10% of Muslims favor terrorist actions; since there are 1.5 billion Muslims, there are at least about 150 million Muslims who support or could potentially commit murders. Yet the world takes no action to protect against the future Islamic takeover by both violence and the womb. The situation is analogous to what happened in Germany as the Nazis rose to power and implemented their horrifying goals.
It has been reported that a German (believed to be Dr. Emanuel Tanay, a well-known and well-respected psychiatrist) wrote the following:
"A man, whose family was German aristocracy prior to World War II, owned a number of large industries and estates. When asked how many German people were true Nazis, the answer he gave can guide our attitude toward fanaticism. 'Very few people were true Nazis,' he said, 'but many enjoyed the return of German pride, and many more were too busy to care. I was one of those who just thought the Nazis were a bunch of fools. So, the majority just sat back and let it all happen. Then, before we knew it, they owned us, and we had lost control, and the end of the world had come. My family lost everything. I ended up in a concentration camp and the Allies destroyed my factories."
Americans are told again and again by 'experts' and 'talking heads' that Islam is the religion of peace and that the vast majority of Muslims just want to live in peace. Although there may be some truth in this at the moment, it is entirely irrelevant. It is meant to make us feel better, and meant to somehow diminish the specter of fanatics killing people across the globe in the name of Islam.
"The fact is that the fanatics rule Islam at this moment in history. It is the fanatics who march. It is the fanatics who wage any one of 50 shooting wars worldwide. It is the fanatics who systematically slaughter Christian or tribal groups throughout Africa and are gradually taking over the entire continent in an Islamic wave. It is the fanatics who bomb, behead, murder, or honor-kill. It is the fanatics who take over mosque after mosque. It is the fanatics who zealously spread the stoning and hanging of rape victims and homosexuals. It is the fanatics who teach their young to kill and to become suicide bombers."
"The hard, quantifiable fact is that the peaceful majority, the 'silent majority,' is cowed and extraneous."
The same phenomenon where "peace-loving" people kept silent while a violent minority took over occurred in Russia, China and Japan.
In communist Russia most Russians just wanted to live in peace, yet the Russian Communists were responsible for the murder of about 20 million people. The peaceful majority were irrelevant. Most of China's huge population was peaceful as well, but Chinese Communists managed to kill a 70 million people.
The average Japanese individual prior to World War II was not warmongering but Japanese murdered and systematically slaughtered 12 million Chinese killed by sword, shovel, and bayonet and still more across South East Asia.
Peace-loving Russians and Japanese were made irrelevant by their silence; and so do the Muslims.
In today's world so-called "peace-loving Muslims" will become our enemy if they don't speak up, because like the man from Germany, they will awaken one day and find that the fanatics own them; and all of us will suffer for their silence.
Around the world peace-loving people who are in the majority must speak up against their fanatics before it's too late to do any good. As in Germany, they may find themselves, along with the rest of us, living under a regime like the Nazis who came to power as a minority.
The rest of us should not rely on an awakening by peace-loving Muslims to stifle the Islamic jihad's threat. Unlike Obama we must identify the threat as Islam and do everything in our power to keep political Muslims from over-riding the freedom and liberty we enjoy through our Constitution in the United States.
History lessons are often incredibly simple yet we are missing the most basic and uncomplicated of points, that we cannot rely on others to protect us.
Quotations from "Why the Peaceful Majority is Irrelevant" by Paul E. Marek.
FamilySecurityMatters.org Contributing Editor Vincent Gioia is a retired patent attorney living in Palm Desert, California. His blogs at www.vincentgioia.com and he may be contacted at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Happy Wednesday
This weeks GDT is
Nancy Brown
Here is alittle about Nancy:
I am married to a fabulous husband, mother to three grown children and grandma to 9 amazing grandchildren.
I take care of two of my grandchildren (2 & 4 yrs. old) during the day and get creative with my card making in the evenings.
I started stamping 14 years ago when I became a Close to my Heart Consultant and my hobby has now turned into a passion. So much so that I opened up a shop on etsy for my cards.
My signature design in card making is hand stitching. Not very evident in my card today though. Just a little there.
I LOVE challenges, especially sketch challenges.
I am currently on the Fred She Said Design team, previously on the Sweet 'n Sassy DT and have been guest designer on various other challenge blogs.
Thanks for the honor of being the guest designer this week and please stop by my blog and check out my artwork. http://inspiredbystamps.blogspot.com/.
Nancy used the pre-coloured Hugging Ghost to create this spooooky cute card
pre-coloured images make a quick and perfectly coloured card every time!!!
Be sure to pop over to check out her wonderful creations
Thanks for Joining us this week Nancy!!!!


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The morning started out with a flurry of activity. After some discussion about the logo and how certain parties felt it represented the end of Kyoto, the COP plenary commenced with the Tuvalu delegation proposing a contact group to review its protocol, which was proposed and tabled six months ago. As proposed, the Tuvalu protocol is a legally binding agreement meant to complement Kyoto through amendments, as well as the creation of a new protocol entitled the Copenhagen Protocol. In no uncertain terms, Tuvalu stated it was here to "seal the deal" and wanted nothing less than a legally binding document.
Photo Gallery
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EVBot's last firmware version includes support for overclocking the GTX 680 Classified and Classified SR-X motherboard. You can tell whether your hardware supports the EVBot by looking for the 5-pin EVBot connector. The user manual is a bit unclear as it only lists options, without detailed descriptions. Of course, users can always find more info on EVGA's portal, here,, but it should be said that EVGA aimed EVBot at experienced users that know what to do.
If you want to order the EVBot, we'd first recommend checking whether it's running latest firmware that recognizes the GTX 680 Classifed. If not, you can flash it via any EVGA motherboard with an EVBot connector, otherwise it will be useless for the Classified.
The EVBot connects to the card via a 105cm cable. It can run three graphics cards and one motherboard simultaneously.
EVBot allows for overvolting NVVDD (GPU voltage), FBVDD (memory voltage), PEXVDD1 (PCI-Express voltage #1), PEXVDD2 (PCI-Express-voltage#2) and OCP (Over-Current-Protection with Normal or Extreme settings).
Overclocking without overvolting wasn't quite phenomenal – we only managed 1161MHz (max. boost clock 1238MHz). EVbot managed 1250MHz (max. boost clock 1329MHz) at 1.268v. Running at these clocks, Boost clock was pretty maxed out. At higher clocks we encountered occasional downclocking.
It seems as if the cooler was what kept us from improving our results. We noticed that the card downclocks as soon as it hits 79°C. Unfortunately, this critical threshold is easily hit at clocks above 1350MHz (boost clock), such as by playing a more demanding game. We replaced the reference thermal paste with GC Extreme and knocked a few °C.
We also noticed that the Classified isn't happy with voltage beyond 1.3v, because it again started downclocking.